Time
by Nirianne
Summary: What would you do if you never understood the importance of time until it was too late? R&R!


**A/N: **Hello! It's Nirianne, semi-stalker for the FFXIII-2 fandom has invaded here! Well, I think by default I should have written here first but yeah… I like to be different and… unpredictable? Anyway, this'll be my first story for 13 xD; This story came to be when I bought a novel by Mitch Albom called the Time Keeper. I didn't think of it that much until I read the first couple of pages and then it smacked me in my face. Everything in 13 was based on time, depending on how you look at it. So, that's why this story was born out of 'time'. And yes, 'time' will be the motif in this one.

They'll be six chapters of this story for six people. Each chapter will be short (that's the idea unless my fingers rebel or something). I hope you'll like it and thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Summary: **What would you do if you never understood the importance of time until it was too late?

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**I Couldn't Save Her in Time**

Finally, night has fallen. Peeking through the patch of foliage, the stars began to emerge one by one after a day of relentless rain, cleansing the earth from the day's scorching heat. It had been a very tiring day for the six l'Cie that walked on foot from place to place. Making camp, the six spread out evenly around the warmth of the burning hearth, rubbing their hands together for warmth before each settled at each of his or own spot. Leaning against the tree, Snow was the first to emit a tiring yawn. It was a rough day today battling monsters and searching for food. This Pulse lifestyle was much harder than it looked. Making himself as comfortable as possible, the man looked around and his tired eyes fell onto his friends. Well, partners in crime technically.

Lightning and Hope each sat on a rock adjacent to each other as Lightning demonstrated to Hope how to sharpen the edge of the knife. Running a rock along the sharpened edge, sparks flickered. Her voice was firm, like a teacher advising a student. All Hope did was nod, taking in as much of Lightning's knowledge as possible. Shifting his eyes to the right, there was old man Sazh who leaned against a bigger rock, supporting his back. The man had complained of a backache after he miserably slipped along the path and somehow twist his back and landed awkwardly in the mud. Grumbling something under his breath, his gloved hand rubbed his stinging back. Every so often, the group heard him complain but nothing more. Moving his eyes all the way to the left, there was Fang and Vanille, each holding rabbits and skinning them with ease. Watching Fang tear off the rabbit's hide and Vanille dismembering it, Snow frowned; they were going to have rabbits for dinner for the fifth night in a row. Not that he wanted to complain of course, a meal was better than no meal at all.

It was funny; he was traveling with complete strangers turned friends. Well, Lightning was considered a stranger since she wouldn't go near him with a ten-foot pole. Why? Because she disliked him. Fair enough. Knocking his head on the damp bark, Snow wondered how long has it been since Serah turned into crystal? A month? Two? Three or was it four now? He lost count of time. Closing his eyes, his mind drifted off to the night he proposed to her. Her voice, her smile, and her utter excitement and sweet gestures made him feel loved. He missed her so much. He missed her so much it saddened him to think she was encased in a beautiful crystal cocoon only to sleep for an eternity.

His mind brought him back to the day the Vestige appeared out of thin air. The colossal structure hovering above the sea of Bodhum soon became an imminent threat to everybody that day. He remembered running through the winding paths of the town with soldiers pursuing them relentlessly. Their aim was to capture Serah and confine her. Gripping onto her hand tightly, both rushed as quickly as they could and pushed their bodies to the limit. Their hearts beat faster than they ever did before. Leaping into the velocycle, both were immediately airborne. Snow knew at that moment their time was running out. Where were they to go? Zipping through the air and dodging airborne bullets whizzing past them, Snow had no choice but to zip to the Vestige. It seemed like a suicide move but it was better than being shot down in the air to their deaths.

Serah leapt off first and quickly spun around. Snow was to follow but that never happened. With eyes as wide as they could be, the door behind Serah morphed into autonomous strings of silver lines. Serah was trapped within the silver hands, pulling her body into the Vestige. Snow had forgotten to breathe the moment Serah's body was consumed.

"**Serah!**" Snow hollered at the top of his voice. "**Serah!**"

Hearing bullets whizz past his ear, Snow had a decision to make; to flee or fight? Who was the enemy? The monstrous Vestige or the soldiers dead-set on killing him?

"**Damn it all to hell!**"

It only took a matter of seconds before Snow's velocycle was shot out of the sky and onto the unforgiving shores of Bodhum. Scrambling out of the twisted wreckage, Snow spat out the sand flooding his torn lips with eyes peeled onto the Vestige. Breathing in and out, eyes rapidly blinked. For every second that counted, he failed. He failed to protect Serah. Cursing himself, he wished he had some sort of plan, no, he wished he had more _time_.

"I couldn't save her in time…" Snow mumbled, his mind drifting into slumber. His body soon relaxed against the tree trunk and lips quietly moved on their own. "I wish I had more time…"


End file.
